Senior Specialist – Head of Office - Unmanned System Office, ECTC Expertise & Stakeholder Management Unit (AD7) in The Hague

This selection procedure is intended to establish a reserve list of successful candidates. It is envisaged to start using the reserve list in Q4 of 2026/Q1 of 2027.

Europol retains the right to make use of the reserve list to select candidates for similar posts within the organisation, should business needs require so.

1. Organisational context

Organisational setting:
The post of Senior Specialist – Head of Office - Unmanned System Office is located in ECTC Expertise & Stakeholder Management Unit, European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) Department, Operations Directorate.

The Operations Directorate deals with the core business of Europol, improving the effectiveness and cooperation of the competent authorities in the Member States in preventing and combating serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism affecting the Member States. This requires close cooperation with the Liaison Bureaux at Europol and via them with the Operational Teams in the Member States (MS).

Europol delivers a number of products and services to national law enforcement agencies to support them in their fight against international serious and organised crime, as well as terrorism.

The Operations Directorate hosts six distinct Departments: Operational and Analysis Centre (OAC), European Serious Organised Crime Centre (ESOCC), European Cyber Crime Centre (EC3), European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) and European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS).

The European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) is responsible for facilitating CT cooperation and information exchange among the lCT authorities as well as providing operational analysis. It was established in 2016 with the aim of maximising operational, technical and overall information exchange capabilities in the area of counterterrorism. ECTC strives to ensure added value for EU MS and Third Party (TP) CT cooperation by providing:

An information hub for CT with strong analysis and information sharing capabilities, effective operational support and expertise for MS and TPs CT investigations.

A proactive mitigation of the use of social media for radicalisation purposes through terrorist/violent (right-wing) extremist online propaganda, also promoting private-public partnerships.

A central strategic support capability to identify Europe-wide CT implications and outreach with relevant international partners. A support office for the ATLAS network (Special Interventions Units) is also set up within ECTC Expertise & Stakeholder Management Unit.

The Expertise and Stakeholder Management Unit is responsible for the coordination and delivery of strategic products, stakeholder management and for the provision of strategic advice and thematic expertise in the field of CT. The CBRN & Explosives Team is horizontally assisting and operationally supporting all Europol Centres and crime areas in terms of expertise in CBRN and/or explosives. In addition, a support office for the ATLAS network (Special Interventions Units) is set up within the Unit.

Purpose of the post:
The Senior Specialist – Head of Office will lead the establishment and development of a dedicated Europol capability on the criminal and terrorist use of unmanned systems. The incumbent will ensure that Europol can collect, connect, analyse and operationalise information on hostile Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) activity.

Reporting lines:
The incumbent reports to the Head of Unit ECTC Stakeholder Management & Expertise.

Job environment:
This post might require participation in a shift system including weekends and nights as well as on-call duty.

2. Functions and duties

The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:

Lead the establishment and development of the Unmanned Systems Office within ECTC;

Act as Europol’s focal point on the criminal and terrorist use of drones and wider unmanned systems;

Coordinate the collection and analysis of information on hostile unmanned systems activity;

Support MS investigations through operational analysis, technical input and forensic expertise;

Monitor emerging threats, modi operandi, propaganda, procurement and weaponisation linked to unmanned systems;

Contribute and produce threat assessments, intelligence notifications and strategic reporting;

Coordinate relevant expertise across different Europol Departments;

Support information exchange with MS;

Engage with relevant EU bodies, international partners, law-enforcement networks and private-sector actors;

Represent Europol in relevant expert groups, meetings and initiatives on drones and counter-drone security;

Prepare briefings, reports and recommendations for line management;

Perform any other task in the area of competence requested by line management.

Head of Office general people management responsibilities:

Organise the work of a group of individuals by assigning tasks and responsibilities;

Monitor task completion and quality of work;

Establish and enhance effective processes, working methodologies and communication channels while ensuring strict adherence to data protection regulation and upholding fundamental rights at all times;

Provide constructive feedback and guidance, give input on objectives and assessments and provide learning opportunities;

Embrace diversity, foster an environment of collaboration, inclusion and fairness.

3. Requirements - Eligibility criteria

a. Candidates must

Be a member of a competent authority within the meaning of the Article 2(a) of the Europol Regulation and enjoy full rights as a citizen of a Member State;

Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;

Produce appropriate character references as to his or her suitability for the performance of the duties;

Be physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the post as further specified in Article 13 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS);

Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.

b. Candidates must have

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more;

OR

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years;

OR

Professional training of an equivalent level in a relevant area (e.g. Police Officer’s School) and after having completed the training, at least the number of years of relevant professional experience as indicated below:

Duration of professional training - Additional professional experience required for equivalency

More than 6 months and up to 1 year - 4 years
More than 1 year and up to 2 years - 3 years
More than 2 years and up to 3 years - 2 years
More than 3 years - 1 year

In addition to the above at least 6 years of total professional work experience gained after the award of the diploma.

4. Requirements - Selection criteria

a. Professional experience
Essential:

Experience in law-enforcement activities in the field of CT, serious and organised crime or emerging technologies;

Experience in supporting investigations through operational analysis, information exchange and coordination with national or international partners;

Experience in drafting intelligence products and conducting threat assessments;

Experience in coordinating multidisciplinary expertise, including operational, analytical, technical, forensic or OSINT capabilities;

Experience working in the field of UAS, counter-UAS, unmanned systems or autonomous technologies;

Experience in setting up a team, network, task force, knowledge base or structured information-sharing capability.

Desirable:

Experience in technical/forensic exploitation, OSINT, digital evidence or online investigations;

Experience in stakeholder engagement with MS, EU bodies, third countries, international organisations or private-sector partners.

b. Professional knowledge
Essential:

Sound knowledge of the EU terrorism and serious organised crime threat landscape, including emerging technologies and hybrid threats;

Sound knowledge of the criminal and terrorist use of drones and wider unmanned systems;

Knowledge of operational analysis, information exchange, early warning, technical indicators, forensic exploitation and electronic evidence;

Sound knowledge of the EU and Europol legal framework and Europol’s role in supporting MS investigations.

c. General competencies
Essential

Communicating:

Excellent communication skills in English, both orally and in writing;

Excellent presentation skills;

Ability to draft clear and concise documents on complex matters for various Audiences.

Analysing & problem solving:

Structured approach to work aimed at getting results;

Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills;

Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet.

Delivering quality and results:

High degree of commitment and flexibility.

High level of customer and service-orientation.

Prioritising & organising:

Excellent organizational skills including the ability to plan own workload, establish clear priorities and exercise initiative;

Ability to manage projects and familiarity with project management terminology and methodology.

Resilience:

Strong ability to work well both independently and in a team;

Very good interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively liaise with other departments, groups and teams as well as with external partners;

Ability to remain effective under a heavy workload and demonstrate resistance
to stress.

Living diversity:

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with co-workers in an international and multi-disciplinary work environment.

Advising:

Ability to synthesise various data into a coherent and relevant whole, transforming it into a valuable and correct conclusion;

Building constructive relationships with clients and team members, adequately identifying and managing their needs and expectations, and giving well-grounded advice.

Team supervision:

Ability to manage a diverse team including the ability to motivate staff, effectively plan and monitor the work of other staff members and to provide guidance.

d. Additional conditions:
Fulfil the condition stipulated in Article 5 of the Decision of the Executive Director on the Duration of contracts of employment for Temporary Agents, on the start date of the possible contract of employment which may be offered.

5. Selection procedure

All applications for Temporary Agent posts must be submitted through the online recruitment system accessible via Europol’s website. For further information, please consult the Europol Recruitment Guidelines.

The Authority Authorised to Conclude Contracts of Employment (AACC) sets up a Selection Committee, composed of at least three members, consisting of one chair and at least one member from the administration and one member designated by the Staff Committee.

For restricted posts (including restricted - Annex II posts) , the AACC designates up to two additional members of the Selection Committee if so requested by the Chairperson of the Management Board. The additional members shall consist of a representative of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union or one representative of the Presidency and one representative of another Member State.

The selection criteria, set out in this Vacancy Notice, will be assessed by the Selection Committee throughout the different stages of the selection procedure. Before the start of the selection procedure, the Selection Committee will decide which selection criteria will be used at each stage of the selection procedure. Certain selection criteria will be assessed only for shortlisted candidates during a written test and/or a competency-based interview.

The Selection Committee will assess the applications received in order to make an initial selection of those candidates meeting all eligibility criteria and matching best the selection criteria (suitability).

In case of candidates shortlisted for restricted posts (including restricted - Annex II posts ), who had indicated membership of a competent authority in one of the Member States, Europol will seek confirmation from the relevant Europol National Unit to ensure that those candidates indeed belong to a competent authority.

The minimum pass-mark for being shortlisted, i.e. invited to participate in a post-related selection procedure, consisting of a written test and a competency-based interview, is established as 60% of the total maximum score.

The Selection Committee will shortlist the 6 highest scoring candidates. All candidates having a score equal to the 6th highest scoring candidate will be invited to take part in the selection procedure. At shortlisting stage, the Selection Committee will establish the pass-mark for the selection procedure.

It is intended for the selection procedure to be conducted remotely. Should the Selection Committee consider it necessary to conduct the selection procedure on-site at Europol in the interest of the proceedings, and subject to budget availability, the candidates invited to participate in the selection procedure will be informed accordingly.

After the selection procedure has taken place, the Selection Committee will establish a list of successful candidates, i.e. those scoring above the pre-defined pass-mark, which is shared with the AACC, for establishment of a Reserve list. A Reserve list is valid for 24 months.

Candidates who participated in the interview will be informed of the outcome, i.e. whether they have been successful or not.

The Selection Committee’s work and deliberations are confidential. It is forbidden for candidates to make direct or indirect contact with the members of the Selection Committee or for anyone to do so on their behalf.

All enquiries related to a selection procedure should be addressed to the Europol HR Operational Support Team at the following email address: Detailed information on the selection procedure- including enquiries, measures of redress and their applicable deadlines is available in the Europol Recruitment Guidelines, which can be found on Europol’s website Compensation and benefits

Scale: AD7
The gross basic monthly salary is EUR 7,876.27 (step 1) or EUR 8,207.25 (step 2).

The step in grade is determined on the basis of professional experience gained after the education required for the post and in line with applicable implementing rules.

Staff pay EU tax at source but salaries are exempt from national taxes. Compulsory deductions are made for health insurance, pension and unemployment insurance.

Subject to the applicable conditions being met, as defined in the EU Staff Regulations (EUSR)/CEOS and further specified in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, allowances such as expatriation allowance (16% of basic gross salary) or foreign residence allowance (4% of basic gross salary), household allowance, dependent child and / or education allowance may be granted.

Staff enjoy worldwide insurance coverage by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) and are insured against sickness, the risk of occupational disease and accident.
Europol offers flexible working arrangements, a comprehensive provision for annual leave as well as parental leave supporting a healthy work-life balance.

Indicative net salary sample calculation AD7/1:
a) Staff member (single) in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 8,091.70
b) Staff member with two dependent children in their custody in receipt of expatriation allowance (16%): EUR 10,380.87

The above information is indicative and for information purposes only. It is merely meant to give an indication of the possible net salary in light of the currently applicable amounts of the related allowances and the level of taxation. It has no legal value and no rights can be derived from it.

The information is based on figures applicable as of July 2025 .

7. Terms and conditions

Contract of employment
The successful candidate will be engaged in the type of post Administrator and function group AD , grade 7 pursuant to Article 2(f) CEOS and Annex I to the EUSR.

The initial contract will be concluded for a period of 5 years (full-time – 40 hours a week). The contract may be renewed only once, in principle, for a period of 5 years.

The overall duration of the contracts on restricted posts of Europol staff members will be taken into